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Simple guide to deck building

Welcome to Cold Fusion’s “Guide to better deck building”. By following these simple guidelines, you’ll find your Pokemon TCG deck going from a useless pile of paper and ink to a comprehensive tournament-killing machine! Note that this guide is to be used for the modified format, not unlimited play.

1. Pokemon selection

Your Pokemon are what are going to be winning your games, so you need to choose them wisely.

First of all, when choosing your main line, be sure it can be backed up with a decent number of its pre-evo cards. 1-1-1, 1-1-2, and most of the time even 1-2-2 lines for your main evolution will fail, because you won’t be able to find any of the cards you’re looking for, even with a decent search engine. With less than 6 Pokes in the line, you’ll often times end up with one in your prizes, and that’s not good. So preferably with at least a 2-2-3(1-1-3 will work for beginners) line, you can start filling in the rest of the holes.

You’re going to need some backup, usually a stage one evolution line. Try to find something either the same type as your main Pokemon (Crobat EX and Ninjask), or something that makes a good combo (Ludicolo and Magcargo). Most backup lines should be run either 2-2 or 2-3, because that way, there will be enough to see play, but they won’t weigh you down. Some decks make good use of having another stage 2 evo line as the backup (Rock Lock), 3, 4, 5, or more evolution lines will just die.

The other Pokemon you’ll want to use is FR/LG Pidgeot. Even though it’s a stage 2 Pokemon, you can run a 2-1-2 or 2-2-2 line of it in a deck easily with the use of a couple Rare Candies (which will be discussed later), and it will prove to be invaluable to most decks. This card has a Poke-power, Quick Search, which allows you to search your deck for any card. After using it in a battle, you’ll be glad Pidgeot is in your deck. Though this is no longer the case for all decks, it proves to be useful in decks with multiple evo lines. (such as SMP)

2. Trainers

The main purposes of having trainers in your deck is to speed it up considerably, as well as fix your Pokemons’ weak points.

Draw power is always important in a deck, as it will speed up the process in getting the cards you need. There are many good draw cards out there, among them being TV Reporter, Professor Oak’s Research, and Steven’s Advice. Those aren’t the only ones, but they are some of the most affective the game has to offer. In all, your deck should use around 8 draw cards, because with the fact that they are supporters, having more in your hand would slow you down. After putting in your draw, put in a couple Wally’s Training or Celio’s Network cards to finish off this section.

After draw is taken care of, you need to look back at your Pokemon, and decide what is needed. Do your Pokemon have high retreat costs? Put in some Switch. Will you need some significant healing? Add in Potion or Life Herb. After asking questions like these, add in a couple Pokemon Reversals, Ancient Technical Machine Rocks, and Rare Candies if you use stage 2's.

Now were almost finished, but we need to add in some stadium cards. Without a couple of them, you’ll be victim to whatever ones your opponent plays, which is never good. Depending on the style of your deck depends on what to use, it’s much too complicated to say as a whole.

3. Energy

We’re coming to the home stretch, but energy is by far the most important part of the deck. Without energy, your Pokemon can’t attack! You need to add a reasonable amount, usually between 14 and 18. Make sure you pay attention to how you’re splitting the energy types in multi-color decks, because otherwise, you won’t be able to get the type you need. Find what you think the best balance is, and then move one.

The last thing is special energy. In decks with Dark and Steel Pokemon, their specific special energy cards will be needed, but only 4 can be used. Because of this, cards like and Darkmetal energy become open options for you to use. If this isn’t a matter for your deck, you have other options. If your evolved Pokemon have large colorless energy requirements, use a few boost energy cards, and they will speed you up. Scramble energy can also be useful, but to a lesser extent…

4. Test it out!

Now that you’ve made your deck, try it out a few times against a friend. This way, you will find the strengths and weaknesses of the cards you chose, and then make adjustments accordingly. Keep tweaking and testing bit-by-bit, until you have made a deck fit for a Pokemon Master!
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If you have any suggestions on how to make this better, please post them, and I'll fix as seen needed.

Yeah, I made a thread like this already... oh well. Anyways, Pidgeot is NOT invaluable to every deck. You can search for 1 card a turn. Unless yuo're in a tight spot, that's not really going to get you anywhere. And from what I have heard, Battle Frontier shuts down Pidgeot, and also some other important stuff. If you have Pidgeot in yuor deck, yuo won't be able to shut down some of these other things without hurting Pidgeot, and yuo can be shut down yourself.

DO NOT WORRY. I AM YOUR COMPATRIOT. WE ARE CONNECTED BY THE 1PX LINE OF FATE._________________________________________________

Yeah, I made a thread like this already... oh well. Anyways, Pidgeot is NOT invaluable to every deck. You can search for 1 card a turn. Unless yuo're in a tight spot, that's not really going to get you anywhere. And from what I have heard, Battle Frontier shuts down Pidgeot, and also some other important stuff. If you have Pidgeot in yuor deck, yuo won't be able to shut down some of these other things without hurting Pidgeot, and yuo can be shut down yourself.

Well, by what you said, Pidgeot's power would only be helpful in a tight spot, and when you're in that tight spot, you could just play another stadium and use Quick Search.

But Pidgeot's power will go down significantly now, but I'll wait until Emerald's official release, and then change it around a bit. DX Cargo is always an option, and it works nice with Camerupt EX.

14-18 energy is the standard amount. I was a judge at one of the Cities and from deck-checking I can say that no-one had over 20 energy in there deck. Infact, I haven't seen anyone but little kids with over 22 in there deck.
If you don't know what you're talking about then I request you don't offer advice.

14-18 energy is the standard amount. I was a judge at one of the Cities and from deck-checking I can say that no-one had over 20 energy in there deck. Infact, I haven't seen anyone but little kids with over 22 in there deck.
If you don't know what you're talking about then I request you don't offer advice.

I have 28 energy in my deck and I need most of them If not all off them.

See the world, become stronger, I’ll be waiting for you as long as it takes here at the top, train yourself and surpass this sword. –Dracule Mihawk

I have 28 energy in my deck and I need most of them If not all off them.

Well what can I say, out of the 300+ people I was judging in the last few months and all of the people I've battled over the years, none of the people (except for a few little kids) had more than 22 energy in there decks.
Since alot of the people there are being invited to Worlds, they must know something you don't.

My deck has some eeveelutions, jolteon, vaporeon, and glaceon. It also has an empoleon evolution set and some other pokemon My card ration is 21 pokemon, 19trainers, and 20 energys. Oh yeah, could you guys tell me how to change the picture under your username and also were to make the trainer card thing? TY!

Well, I got banned three times for having a signature that was to big of a file, so I just decided to not have a signature. Whatcha' gonna' do now Serebii!!??Complete Destruction by Shadow Force... but this is not a favorable matchup...

Really?
Good for those friends of yours who are going to Worlds. I don't care.

Do the world a favor and think before you speak.

I may not be a master or a turnament judge or a professor but the fact that you are one doen't give you the right to go insulting people like that.

I don't know if you know but there is a phrase that says something like this:

"I play to have FUN not to have a pretty trophy on my wall."

Learn it and then we can talk.

I wasn't trying to be rude. I was just trying to help you make a better deck. If you don't want help then you shouldn't post in the "Rate My Deck" section.
And I do think before I speak. Maybe you should do the same.